Governor signs off on deer hunt changes

Feb. 10, 2014

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Written by

The Associated Press

MADISON — Gov. Scott Walker has approved a sweeping set of changes to Wisconsin deer hunting that include doing away with in-person registration.

The Department of Natural Resources' board approved the changes as part of an emergency rule last month. The governor signed off on the rule Saturday at the annual National Rifle Association and Wisconsin Firearms Owners, Ranges, Clubs, and Educators convention in Weston.

The changes stem from a report Texas researcher James Kroll prepared on the DNR's hunting policies. Walker's administration hired Kroll in 2011 to review the agency's strategies in response to hunter frustrations.

The plan calls for eliminating in-person deer registration stations, reducing the number of deer management zones, simplifying population goals and creating county committees that will advise the DNR on local population goals.